


Let's Play Ball!

by orphan_account



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 07:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16404014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: At ten years old, Ludwig's whole life revolves around football. However, when his dog Blackie is diagnosed with cancer, he is faced with tough decisions regarding his priorities.





	Let's Play Ball!

Every Saturday, my brother liked to drive to an abandoned lot on the outskirts of Munich. Its shoddy location meant that no one ever intended on purchasing it, but it was a great place to do our usual Saturday evening exercises.

We always brought along Blackie, our German Shepard. Gilbert gave her to me when I was six. He said I needed a friend to protect me while he was away. Blackie filled the protector role pretty well. She was calm and obedient, but still fierce whenever she felt threatened. She was the best dog anyone could ask for.

Gilbert and I stepped out onto the lot. The summer grass and weeds brushed against our ankles as a warm breeze caressed our faces. I handed Blackie a bone-shaped chew toy as Gilbert stretched his arms. With Blackie distracted, we could do our exercises without her interfering.

I joined in on Gilbert’s stretching. One time I forgot to stretch before a match, and I ended up pulling a leg muscle. My brother gave me grief for that ever since. My mind wandered elsewhere as it recalled the next week’s practice schedule:

Sunday I had drill practice with Coach Berwald. Then I had speed and agility exercises with Ivan on Monday. Tuesday I had to attend a pre-tryout clinic for a team I’ve had my eye on for the past few months. Wednesday would be a free day, probably spent curled up on the couch with Gilbert and Blackie. Thursday would be my one-on-one lesson with Francis. Friday, I would attend another clinic for a different team, in case I don’t make the first one. I would practice drills again with Berwald on Saturday. I’d also try to get in on any scrimmage I could during the week.

It may have seemed a tad excessive to an outsider, but football was my life. My greatest hope was to one day join the Bundesliga and win the World Cup. I inherited my love for football from my brother. He actually played for the Bundesliga at one point, but he got demoted after a few weeks. He was never bitter about it, and he told me those weeks were the best of his entire life.

Gilbert quit playing professionally when I was five. He said it was because he got tired of traveling and leaving me at home for weeks at a time, but I think that was only part of it. Something else must have made him lose his passion for the sport.

We started our exercises with a few laps around the lot. After ten of them, I lay down on the grass in a heap of sweat and exhaustion. Gilbert knelt down and shook me by the shoulder.

“Get up. You’re slacking."

“Can’t I catch my breath?”

“No, you can’t. You want to be in the Bundesliga, right?” I nodded. That was all I ever wanted.

“They’re not gonna wait for you to catch your breath. You gotta fight through the pain, Lutz. That’s the only way you’ll discover your limits.”

Football was one of the few things my brother’s serious about, and I took his advice as gospel. I breathed in deeply, stood up, and returned to exercising.

Gilbert’s words may have seemed harsh, but he spoke the truth. The was no sympathy in football. My team and coach would not wait for me to catch up to them.

We continued our exercises with some push-ups. I managed thirty-six before my arms started to tremble. We did squats, lunges, mountain climbers, and burpees, among other things. My eyes were drawn to Gilbert’s muscles and how they flexed as we worked out. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to start weight training with him. Then I could be strong like he was.

We cooled down with some more stretches. I was never as flexible as I would’ve liked, so stretching was always my least favorite part.

When we finished, Gilbert took a break on his phone while I played fetch with Blackie and her chew toy. She didn‘t jump around or bark whenever I raised the toy to throw it again, but her tail wagged a bit. That’s what made her different from other dogs. She was calm. I needed that in my life. With the constant obligations of both school and football weighing me down, I needed her to prevent me from feeling stressed.

Gilbert and Blackie were my only family. We had no other siblings or parents. Gilbert told me a bit about Dad and how I act like him sometimes, but he mentioned nothing about our mom. He also told me about this guy he used to date. I didn’t remember much about him, but I’ve seen pictures and heard stories. One that stood out was how he’d play the piano for me when I was a baby. Gilbert also dated a woman named Elizabeta for a few years, but they had broken up a month ago. He still seemed pretty shaken up about it.

One time a friend told me it seemed like Gilbert was trying to live his football dreams through me, but I disagreed. The sport strengthened our bond like nothing else could. I remembered the day I made my first winning goal. Everybody had jumped and shouted with excitement, and Gilbert had one of the widest smiles I’d ever seen. On the car ride home, he’d bought me a chocolate ice cream and said, “You did good today. I just want you to know that, no matter what happens, I’ll always be proud of you.”


End file.
